Of Racing Dreams and New Siblings
by BitAndBridle27
Summary: There's a lot of new things in the Castle house. Ridley making new milestones, Leggy being a favorite for the Triple Crown and: a new sibling? How will they adjust to these new developments? Sequel to Of Racehorse and Baby Names.
1. The Inter-Period

**Here's the lovely sequel I promised all of you! I added a new character, I hope you like her :]**

* * *

Kate had no idea what scared her more right now: there was the fact that her baby was now two years old, walking around on wobbly legs and talking much better than many other toddlers at her preschool. There was also the fact that her other baby was winning races nobody thought he could in the horse world, but that his jockey was injured by a haybale falling last week and now they had to find a new one. Of course, she was speaking of Ridley and Leggy in these thoughts.

Ridley was her human daughter. Her perfect girl was two years old and all smiles. She had wild red hair and bright eyes and a need to constantly be on the move. Nobody could get enough of her, especially not Maggie Ryan. The littlest Castle and Ryan were joined at the hip; Maggie loved teaching Ridley new things and leading her around and getting into mischief.

Both of the girls absolutely adored Ridley's older brother, Leggy. Always Loving You, or Leggy as he was affectionately called, was a now three-year-old chestnut stallion who had grown much bigger than anyone expected. He, too, had bright blue eyes like the rest of the Castle siblings. This feature was attributed to his bald face, white unlike the rest of his body. Ridley and Maggie loved the big pushover Thoroughbred, but Kate's daughter had the closest relationship with him.

However, Kate decided that those two things were not nearly as scary as her third thought. Today was a very special day for the entire Castle family. Today was the day they would meet the next addition to their family (not for the first time but for the final time), and Kate had never been more anxious in her life.

* * *

Okay, so back up. I guess that, as the omniscient narrator, I should probably fill you in about what has been going on the last couple of years before dropping a bomb like that.

The Beckett-Castle Clan has been doing well for the past two years. Eventually, Zenyatta went back to Kentucky once Leggy was weaned from her but he stayed up and is based in New York. The little guy (who is by no means little anymore) went into training and eventually ran his first race and came in second. Encouraged by this, the trainer, Molly Bruxwell, Castle, Kate, and the jockey, Jeremy Fontaine, continued to race Leggy. After another second place finish, he never saw a horse's butt cross the finish line before him again. If he is able to qualify this year, he will be the favorite for the Triple Crown.

Ridley is also growing up well. She has not won any races or been featured in major magazine and newspaper articles yet, but she sure has not been left behind. Every day Castle and Kate have with her is a joy. Every day anybody has with her is a joy. She can be a little impulsive and has had her share of bumps and bruises (and a broken arm from pretending to be a ballerina and falling out of her bed in the middle of the night), but she is the light in everyone's life.

A few months after Ridley was born, Kate said that she wanted more kids. She said she did not want to wait anymore because both she and Castle were not getting any younger. Then the worst day of their lives happened- on par with Kate's shooting. Kate had updated her husband that they found their murderer and were about to go bring him in. An hour later, his phone rings while he was changing Ridley. Finishing up, he brings the baby to grab the phone and answer it. It was the closest he had ever been to dropping a baby.

_"Castle, it's Javier,"_ the voice said, _"You need to get down to Bellvue. Kate's been stabbed."_

Thank the Heavens his neighbors had always been trustworthy and helpful for the new parents when Martha, Jim, and Alexis could not be around. In a whirl, he was able to leave Ridley with the Johnsons and get to Bellevue in half an hour.

Kate had been stabbed. She was alive, though. The doctors said she was in stable condition. However, Kate did not think so and Castle understood why. Where she was stabbed- she could never have children again. She would never feel a baby growing inside her or have that exciting moment of the first kick or hear the heartbeat. It almost destroyed her. Almost.

Castle reminded her that she still had a daughter and a stepdaughter and a ham.

"A ham?" Kate asked him with a bewildered look.

"Your precious pony that always thrusts his head out to get a pet whenever you walk into the barn," Castle told her with a twinkle in his eye. That got her smiling again.

A month after that, Castle casually suggested adoption to Kate. He still was seeing the light in her eyes fade a little whenever someone talked about a baby or she saw a woman pregnant. Surprisingly, she jumped at adoption and exclaimed that that was a brilliant idea.

They started looking into it closely and eventually found a twelve-year old girl named Elise who had gone through a series of failed foster homes and already gone through one adoption that did not work out. Originally, they had been looking for a child only a couple years older than Ridley. But Kate and Castle never could look beyond Elise once they met her. The orphanage in upstate New York explained that they had no idea about her backstory, only that she somehow found her way to the doorstep of the orphanage by herself when she was only four. Since then, they had not had much luck with her getting adopted and, now nearing the teen years, they were losing hope for her ever making it out. Elise was very introverted and had, in the past, been bullied by countless children in many of her schools. Although she did not "bloom" with Kate and Castle, the director of the orphanage said Elise could not stop smiling afterwards.

* * *

So now Kate, Castle (holding Ridley), Alexis, and Martha were all waiting to greet Elise in the train station. Alexis had the sign that the entire family had painted which read "WELCOME HOME, ELISE!" in purple letters (one bit of information the girl had given up was that she liked purple like her adoptive mother did).

Ridley was squirming in Castle's arms. "Where is Leese?" she demanded impatiently. She had not yet grasped the ability of saying the word "Elise."

"Any minute now, she'll be here," Castle assured his pint-sized daughter.

As if on cue, a tall man wearing business clothes and carrying a suitcase in one hand came dawn the stairs from a platform. Following him very closely was Elise with her plain, blue backpack. Kate had memorized her shoulder-length black hair, pale face, and blue eyes. She knew the characteristic walk that Elise had now, slightly defensive. Her eyes darted from side to side and Kate could swear the girl's ears were pricked. What could have made her this way?

Alexis held up the sign and they watched as Elise looked at it and directed a small, shy smile in their direction. Kate walked forward as they came up to the family. Elise had not yet initiated or ever wanted physical contact with her family, so Kate simply smiled and said, "Welcome to the Castle Clan, Elise."

* * *

**So, I know what you're thinking, how could I do that to Kate? Even I don't know how I did that to Kate. I just needed Elise in the story. Review please! Also, if anyone has comments, particularly about the horse world, adoption, or trauma processes- please tell me! I need liaisons for that stuff (not so much the racing world, but I still wouldn't mind that).**


	2. Home Means Forever

**Yay! Two chapters in a 24-hour period! I'm on a roll! No Leggy in this one, but he'll be making an appearance soon. He's been getting petted by everyone and has not yet graced us with his presence.**

**Also, I'm looking for a beta for this story. I've been working on my own for every story so far and I think it's about time I started working with someone. If you're interested, please PM me!**

* * *

To say the least, entering the home of Castles was pretty overwhelming for Elise. Kate watched as she walked in through the doorway and her sapphire eyes grew wide. She walked in and spun around in an attempt to take everything in at once.

Kate followed with Ridley and then Castle came with Elise's luggage (only a suitcase and a duffle bag). He set them by the stairs.

"Why don't I fix us some lunch?" Castle suggested, clapping his hands together, "I could use a special helper for this though."

Ridley practically bounced into her father. "Me, Daddy, me!" she squealed. Castle chuckled and picked his little one up to spin her around. Kate caught sight of Elise looking just a bit longingly at the father and daughter. She touched the girl's shoulder.

"Would you like to see your room?" she asked. Elise nodded gently and followed Kate upstairs, grabbing the duffle bag while the woman grabbed the suitcase.

They passed Ridley's room and stopped at the last in the hall. Kate motioned for Elise to open the door –which she did- and then followed her in. The room was painted in lavender with different purple hues throughout the ensemble. It all came together quite nicely.

"We thought you'd like the purple since you mentioned it was your favorite color," Kate said, opening up the wardrobe to start helping the girl put her clothes away, "But we can always change it if you don't."

Elise had moved to open her suitcase. Eyes fixed on her task she replied quietly, "No, I like it." They set to work in mostly silence, only talking when Kate asked Elise a direct question. Eventually, Castle came up to say it was time for lunch and the girls followed him downstairs.

Elise took a seat next to Ridley, whose eyes lit up when the girl sat down. The twelve-year old gave the two-year old a small smile and then fixed her eyes on Kate and Castle. She watched as he pulled out the chair for her. She watched as he moved his chair much closer to her than necessary. She watched as they showed more affection than anyone she had ever seen, even in movies. It was so subtle it was almost imperceptible, but Elise saw it. She wondered what story lay behind them for them to be that close. Though she had gotten to know her adopters, a lot of their meetings had been question and answer and only about Elise. She barely even knew what jobs they had, other than Mr. Castle being a writer.

"Hey, Castle, can you pass me a napkin?" Kate asked her husband with a smile.

"Arms suddenly not working?" he teased her.

"Just saving energy for later," she replied. Even though the reply was innocent, her eyes held so much more meaning. Elise noticed that half their conversation was not verbal. She did not know what it meant, but she knew it was powerful to them.

"Why do you call Mr. Castle 'Castle?'" Elise blurted out, "Don't husbands and wives call each other by their first names?"

Kate looked at Castle and then at Elise again and shrugged. "He's always been Castle to me," she said, "I called him that long before we were even dating. Calling him Rick is reserved for very special occasions."

"One correction to this," Castle interjected, "First, Elise, you can't call me Mr. Castle. You can call be Richard, or Rick, whatever you want, but we're not formal anymore."

Elise nodded in understanding, her black hair swaying with her head.

* * *

Sunday morning (the day before Elise started school), the girl walked down the stairs in the new pajamas she had gotten the day before. Saturday had been a shopping spree day and somehow, that made Elise open up a little bit. She was still very quiet, but she had starting talking about herself a little bit more without coaxing.

She had been brought out of bed by delicious smells wafting into her bedroom and came down to find Rick cooking a very large breakfast and Ridley playing with her toys on the dining room table.

"Hey," Rick greeted her, looking up and smiling, "Guess the food smells woke you up?"

"A bit," Elise replied, pouring herself a glass of orange juice. After a few minutes of silence, she asked, "Where's Kate?"

"Should be home any minute. She got called in early today with a case but it was pretty cut-and-dry," Rick explained.

"A case?" Elise asked. They still had not talked about Kate's work much.

"Yeah," Rick said, "I think it's better we told you about that together. Speak of the devil." Kate opened the door at that minute and brushed her hair out of her face. She was wearing a pea coat and a scarf; work pants and then Elise noticed her shoes. The heels were crazy! What kind of work would she be doing in those?

"Hey guys," she greeted everyone breathlessly. Castle had finished up with breakfast and went over to help his wife out of her coat. While he hung that and the scarf up, Elise had time to notice what other accessories Kate had on. She could not say anything but could only stare as Kate took a gun out of its holster on her body and then took off the holster and put both things away in the desk drawer. Although Elise did not say anything, Kate noticed.

"It's okay, Elise," Kate said to her, "I'm not a bank robber or anything. I'm a detective. We thought it was better you came home first and got a feel for everything before knowing that I was a cop."

Elise nodded and asked, "So you hunt down bad guys?"

"Yep, every day," Kate replied.

"What did they do?"

"Unfortunately," Kate began, moving over to the girl, "I hunt down people who have murdered others."

"That's the bravest job ever," Elise told her, "I'm glad you do." It was surprising to hear that response, Kate thought, she had expected more of a protest. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and lips kiss her hair.

"I think so too," Castle said with a smile.

* * *

Later, when Castle and Ridley retreated in the office for a reading session, Kate and Elise sat in the lavender bedroom and folded new clothes together.

"Kate?" Elise asked. The woman looked up from what she was doing and fixed her hazel eyes on Elise.

"Is being a homicide detective very dangerous?" she asked.

"It can be," Kate replied, "Especially if you take stupid risks."

"Have you even been hurt on the job?"

"Yes," Kate answered honestly.

"Badly?"

"A few times."

"How?"

Kate stared questioningly at Elise. "Why do you need to know so badly?" she asked gently.

Elise gazed down at the shirt she was folding. "I don't want you to not come back one day," she murmured, "I like being part of this family already."

Although she was not one to usually cry at things like this, Kate felt tears prick her eyes. "Oh Elise," she said, dropping her folding and tugging the girl in for a tight embrace, "You will never, ever be part of another family again. This is your home and that means that we will never give you back."

Elise gripped tightly onto Kate. None of her other "parents" ever made physical contact before. She could not remember the last time she was hugged.

"I'm glad," she whispered.

* * *

**Aww, I think that was sweet. I've written two chapters in a very short amount of time- I think I deserve a review, don't you?**


	3. Game Plan

**Hope you guys like this chapter! I almost didn't make it through all the "Valkyrie" sneak peeks!**

**A/N: Introducing my new beta livingandthriving aka the most amazing beta ever!**

* * *

Kate knew that the little bubble of happiness she had with her family could not last forever. The workweek was a workweek from hell; the special kind of hell that should only be reserved for child molesters and people who talk in the theater.

At work, they had caught a case which was kicking everyone's butts up and down the street. So far, three bodies of males in their early to late twenties had cropped up; all showed signs of the same MO and the team was convinced it was a serial killer. The only question was what the motive was; none of the men seemed to have a connection with one another.

Then there was Elise. She was the big problem of the week. In the first week she was at school, she had come home crying every day and had gotten into two fights. What was worse was that she would not tell anyone what was wrong and never gave a reason for getting into a fight. Her teachers said that she did exceptionally well in every class but never spoke. Those keeping a close eye on her said that she sat alone at lunch and distanced herself from everyone in every class.

On Thursday as Kate nursed a cup of coffee in the break room, taking (for lack of a better word) a break, her phone rang. _WHAT NOW?_ her inner voice raged. She picked up the phone and said, with an exasperated tone, "Beckett."

"Is this Elise Castle's mother?" a gentle voice asked on the other end, "This is Elise's English teacher, Jade Taylor."

Kate sucked in a breath and prayed her daughter had not gotten into a fight this time. "Yes, this is she. Is Elise all right?"

"Nothing serious today, Mrs. Castle," the voice responded, "I was just wondering if we could meet for coffee in about fifteen minutes- if you're not busy, I mean."

Kate stole a quick glance at Ryan and Esposito going over the murder board. "That sounds good. There's a coffee shop called All Around The Clock, do you know where that is?"

"It happens to be my favorite," the woman on the other end responded, "I'll see you there soon."

* * *

Kate had not yet met Elise's English teacher. She had spoken to the principal and school counselors this week as well as many of her other teachers, but Jade Taylor stayed quiet. Elise never spoke about school at home so Kate had no idea what to expect.

When she walked into the coffee shop and looked around, one woman raised her head and waved Kate over. She was definitely not the picture Kate had painted in her mind. This woman was only in her early twenties. She had short, dark brown hair and soft gray eyes that looked like the sky when it was starting to get drizzly. Her pale face was dotted with few freckles and she looked like she would shatter if you touched her.

Kate pulled out the empty chair and sat down in it.

"I ordered you hot chocolate," the woman said to Kate softly, "I figured it was the safest option."

"Thanks," the detective responded. They sat in silence for a few moments until their drinks were delivered. Kate noticed cinnamon on top of the whipped cream of Jade's drink.

"So, why did you need to talk to me so urgently?" Kate asked.

Jade fiddled with her cup before answering. "Mrs. Castle-"

"Kate."

Nodding, Jade continued, "I don't think you're being told the whole story about Elise, mostly because she won't tell anyone. But," Jade bit her lip before continuing, "Kids can be mean, Kate. Especially at Elise's age, kids, particularly girls, can be horrid. And being the new kid in school in the middle of the year is not a good place to start. I don't think that Elise is finding it easy to make friends with anyone and even worse, those who don't stand by are the ones that probably picked her out as the new kid and started to tease her or spread rumors about her, even in the first week."

Kate stared intently as the petite figure in front of her spoke. She was absorbing every word and feeling emotions pound away in the pit of her stomach. How could kids do this? Actually, she knew how they could do this. She spoke to them with a table resting in between every day of her life. She spoke to both sides. Everyone ended up the victim in the end. But everyone usually ended up the perpetrator too.

"And we can't protect her from this," Kate stated matter-of-factly, "It can't be stopped by slaps on the wrist or anything of the sort. Is there anywhere safe for her in school?"

Jade took a sip of her hot chocolate. "Elise blossoms in the classroom," she said, a shimmer in her eyes that had not been there before, "She writes beautifully and I know she is also quite the talented artist from the doodles she draws in her notes. She writes a lot of her poetry and short stories about horses, but always says the horse is a mystery that she hasn't met yet."

Smiling, Kate replied, "Yeah, we have a horse named Leggy. We've wanted to take her up to meet him since she came to us on Friday but this week has been insane for all of us. My husband has been home with my younger daughter who got sick and I've been at work almost non-stop."

"Big business deal?" Jade guessed.

"More like a serial killer running rampant through the city," Kate replied bitterly. She immediately regretted the words when Jade cringed.

"Sorry," she murmured, "I forgot I wasn't with other cops."

Jade gave a weak smile. "It's okay. Um… my brother was murdered the day before I graduated from college two years ago. They never caught the guy, but his murder was linked to a few others. After that, the trail just went cold. He's the reason I became a teacher."

"I'm sorry," Kate said sincerely, "I know the feeling well."

"How do you get over it?" Jade asked, "It's kind of like with Elise. Something is obviously there, in the back of her mind. And we try to go on but we know that something isn't right."

"You never forget," Kate replied, "You're not supposed to forget. My husband is the reason I was able to drag myself out of that rabbit hole. You just need to find your reason."

Nodding, Jade sipped her hot chocolate again and savored the taste. They were sitting in silence again but it was much more comfortable than before.

* * *

Somehow, the conversation Kate and Jade had seemed to start helping. Kate told Castle about Jade's suspicions that Elise was being bullied. He suggested getting her involved in extra-curricular activities. Unfortunately, Elise rejected the idea of joining a sports team or participating in a play or a chorus. She did not give other options, only said that she did not like the ones set in front of her. However, she did open up more at home and (although she never named names) admitted that girls who knew she had just been adopted were calling her unwanted and "Undesirable Number One" (a misuse of good literature in Castle's eyes).

Jade seemed to have better results in school. She started asking Elise to have lunch with her instead of in the cafeteria and picked out other students as well that she thought might be in the same place as Elise. Soon, a core group of five students and their beloved English teacher was formed. They talked about more than just superficial issues at lunch like who was wearing what or the school gossip. These kids, although only twelve and thirteen, talked about real issues like bullying, being a bystander, and what they could do about it without confrontation.

It was a place where they could feel safe and free of judgment. When Kate finally got a day off work once the FBI took point on the case and suggested they finally make that trip to see Leggy, Elise asked if her friends (including Miss Taylor) could come too. And so, the Castle Clan and the Lunch Bunch, as Jade affectionately called them, piled into two cars and drove out to the farm on a cold Friday afternoon in mid-January.

Castle got out of the car and opened the back doors for Elise and her new best friend Ginnifer to get out while he undid Ridley's seat. Jade ushered her three kids, Tommy, Seth, and Faye, out as well.

"Hey guys!" greeted a very familiar voice. Vera, decked out in her jodhpurs and tall boots, came strolling over to the group. She pulled Kate into a hug and then held out her arms to Castle to take Ridley. Vera had a special bond with the mini redhead. The two-year old latched onto the barn manager immediately and flashed her a dazzling smile.

"Everyone ready to meet the star of the barn?" Vera asked the kids. A chorus of "yeses" followed, including one from Jade. Kate could tell that this was as therapeutic for her as it was for kids, none of whom had a pet to call their own. Vera smiled and motioned for them to all follow her.

"By the way," she said to Kate and Castle, who were walking holding hands, "We need to go over jockeys with Molly and Jeremy. We need to win this race coming up next week and although Leggers would happily run without a jockey, it's illegal."

"We can do that after the kids meet him," Castle told her, "They're both here, aren't they?"

"Yeah. That sounds great," Vera replied with a satisfied smile.

They traipsed into the main barn where Leggy had been moved to after Zenyatta left to go back to Kentucky. A bronze, embossed nameplate was mounted on the stall door two in on the left.

"ALWAYS LOVING YOU," Faye read out, "OWNED AND LOVED BY THE BECKETT-CASTLE FAMILY." She looked up at Castle and smiled, knowing that this was the stall.

"There's more," Seth pointed out, "What is this?" He poked his finger at the sign below the nameplate, which read, "OFFICIAL MASCOT OF THE TWELFTH PRECINCT- HOMICIDE DIVISION."

"Leggy is the mascot for where I work," Kate answered with a proud smile.

Ginnifer cocked her head, dirty blonde hair falling to the side. "Leggy?"

"That's what we call him," Elise answered, "His nickname is Leggy."

Vera did the honors and slid open the stall door. Quick as lightning, a stark white head almost as big as Ridley shot out; all the kids and Jade jumped back, startled. Meanwhile, Kate walked over and threw her arms around the stallion's muscular neck. In turn, the horse wrapped his neck and head around her body and breathed in his best friend's scent.

"Hey, buddy," Kate murmured, realizing how much she had missed him.

* * *

**So, many of you don't know that besides gracing you with writing, I am also studying to be a speaker against hate crimes and bullying. I worked in a school district and spoke to different grades about acceptance last year and it was an amazing experience. This story is in dedication to those who have been bullied or are being bullied. Please know that you are never alone, particularly if you're going through the middle grades because that's when it's the worst. I promise it gets better.**

**Reviews are much appreciated!**


	4. Author's Note

Hi All!

I am so sorry that I have not updated recently. Uni is horribly busy and I'm trying so hard to update but things keep getting away from me. THERE WILL BE A CHAPTER NEXT WEEK, I SWEAR!

Thank you so much for sticking with this through hiatus!

Bitty


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